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RE: MIDI Mitigator Pedal for sale on ebay
Title: RE: MIDI Mitigator Pedal for sale on
ebay
At 1:58 PM -0500 11/22/04, Bill Edmondson wrote:
Can you elaborate on the rubber bumper
idea? I've have a similar
experience with the
footswitches.
Most foot switches actually consist of two parts: 1) the switch
itself, which is normally small, fairly delicate, and attached to the
circuit board, and 2) a switch covering or actuator that is the
physical element a user presses on with his/her foot.
The mechanical behavior of the cover or actuator and its physcial
relationship to the electronic switch are both important. In many
switches the actuator has a little finger-like nub that presses the
moveable center portion of the switch. In the case of the Mitigator,
if memory serves, there is a small disk that (probably) presses on the
circuit-board-mounted switch, and this in turn is pressed by center
portion of the rubber switch covering when the foot presses down on
it. The rubber switch covering is fairly thick and stiff. It is
possible to press on it without fully activating the switch beneath.
This might happen, for instance, if your foot comes down at a
slight angle. By attaching what Bill calls a "bumper" to the
rubber switch covering, and by being sure that this extra piece
is centered on the underlying switch, it is possible to get a more
"positive" mechanical response to foot pressure.
Think of it like this: You are using a tiny hand-held device such
as a calculator or a cell phone, but you have big fat finger tips that
don't always activate the tiny buttons properly. So you use a pencil
or stylus to press the buttons, increasing accuracy and positive
contact. The "bumper" piece serves the function of the
stylus, focusing the foot pressure at a smaller point.
--
______________________________________________________________
Richard Zvonar, PhD
(818) 788-2202
http://www.zvonar.com
http://RZCybernetics.com
